High rent vs. low rent: risks and rewards

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After they finish their first year of required on-campus living, students face the challenge of finding affordable housing.

Some housing units are fully furnished with utilities included, but that likely comes with higher monthly rates. Unfurnished housing units without utilities included often have lower rent prices.

Unfurnished on-campus apartments cost between $300 and $600, while furnished apartments cost between $330 and $630 dollars, according to WSU’s Housing and Residence Life website.

“The rent at the Chinook Village was way lower than what [the Grove] charges,” senior criminal justice major Hiro Kawahara said, “but the amenities, community and customer service there was expected for how much I was paying.”

Kawahara said it is better to pay more for an apartment than to live in a place where the management is bad and utilities are not included.

“I would rather live in a fairly more expensive place, with sold amenities and services, than live in a place that has dirt cheap rent,” he said.

Senior psychology major Megan Sanders, who lives in the Birch Hills complex, said the apartments cost as much as living in a place that is fully furnished with utilities included. Birch Hills doesn’t have the same utilities or amenities as the first apartment she lived in.

“It is a hassle that my apartment doesn’t have a washer and dryer,” Sanders said. “Even though it is cheaper rent, in the long run it is the same price.”

Living in a place where more things are included is better, she said.

Some furnished apartments in Pullman cost around $650 or more, according to Apartment Home Living. The furnished apartments, such as Campus Commons, the Grove and College Crest, also included utilities and washers and dryers.

“Higher rent for more amenities is better,” interior design major Nick Lopez said.

Living in a fully furnished apartment at the Grove is convenient, he said.

“l looked at other places, like Pimlico, who offered less,” Lopez said, “but I like having the convenience of the utilities and amenities.”